Hello, I'm new
here and thought I'd ask for some advice.
I am 30 and the past couple of years I have been having various
issues. I have gained 20 lbs even though I exercise and watch
what I eat. I even went on Weight Watchers and after strictly
following their plan for 3 months lost a total of 2 lbs.
My feet seem to be cold a lot, even if the rest of me is fine.
My hands get a numbing/tingling sensation here and there. I feel
tired, restless, and sometimes depressed. And my eyes have been
feeling dry and tired.
My hair has always been thick, shiny and healthy with never a
care taken to it. These days it seems a bit dry and split ends
abound, My skin has also become somewhat dull looking. And I've
been getting frequent headaches, even if only fleeting, and I've
never been bothered by them before.
I started charting my basal body temp. 2 months ago and it has
not been above 97.3.
My mom has hypothyroidism and was diagnosed with it when she was
just a couple of years younger than me. She suggested I get my
thyroid checked out. Last week I saw a nurse practitioner at the
family practice I go to and told her how I had been feeling and
showed her my charting. She said I wasn't ovulating and ordered
some blood work done. When I went to see her a couple of days
ago she said my TSH levels were fine, my antibodies were kinda
high but that I didn't have a thyroid problem never once
addressing any of my symptoms. She had more blood work done to
see if I was anemic.
I then asked her for a referral to endocrinologist for a 2nd
opinion. She looked at me in disbelief. She said I didn't need
to see an endocrinologist because I didn't have a thyroid
problem. I told her I understood what she believed but I would
still like a 2nd opinion from an endocrinologist. She told me it
was a waste of my time and that the endocrinologist would tell
me the same thing after seeing my blood work. I said I still
wanted the referral. She reluctantly gave it to me.
Am I being unreasonable in seeking a 2nd opinion from an
endocrinologist?
Buffalogal
5/27/2005 |
|
| All these symptoms that you
mention look to me like the pattern of harm that 2-butoxyethanol
chemical could cause. Especially the headaches, dry eyes, too many
antibodies (overactive immune system? maybe autoimmune system)
depression.
What have you been doing differently
than before these symptoms started? I'm looking for exposure/s to this
chemical. I think it causes autoimmune
metabolic problems, and that overweight is not your fault. Looks to
me like you may have gotten some effects from a parent affected (often
the thyroid is a gland it affects), but then, you can
very easily get some exposure yourself. Any painting going on?
How about some new cleaning products that you're using? Or what
has been going on with your husband or other friend you spend a lot of
time with?
Now if this was something like CFIDS,
or a form of Chronic Fatigue, part of the definition is that doctors do
not know what the fatigue is. AND the first look at the
blood looks OK. I suspect you would have compensating
autoimmune hemolytic anemia. And that to find the effects of
this chemical, which I suspect for causing such, you would have to ask
your doctor to check more things
If you can pinpoint the exposure and
STOP it (& all others you can identify) you have hope of not coming
down with some of the really horrible things 2-butoxyethanol causes. |